App Store Bundles as an Upgrade Path

Apple never really allowed developers to offer upgrade pricing when releasing a major update to an existing application on the App Store. But now they’ve announced that bundles are comming to the App Store. So what happens if you put GreatApp 1.0 and GreatApp 2.0 in the same bundle?

Bundles are a way to put two or more apps in a group to give the user a discount if he purchases multiple apps from the same developer. On stage at WWDC it was said that users who already have purchased an app in the bundle can still get the bundle but with a discount. So let’s say you make this available on the store:

Now let’s suggest to a user who already purchased GreatApp 1.0 to purchase the bundle instead the 2.0 app. He will get a discount since he already owns version 1.0. You can thus calculate the upgrade price based on that discount. Let’s assume the discount is calculated to be the full price of the 1.0 app, like this:

GreatApp 1.0 & 2.0 Bundle      $12.99
GreatApp 1.0 Discount         - $5.99
                           -----------
Total:                          $7.00

And now you get this nice $7 upgrade price.

It’s possible that Apple will calculate the discount differently, in which case you’ll have to set the bundle price differently to get the same upgrade price.